Together with the magnificent team at the British Museum, I'm proud to present the first episode of 'Pleasant Vices'. In this four-part YouTube series I'll explore the cultural backgrounds behind some of our guilty pleasures; beer, sugar, chocolate and aphrodisiacs - in relation to the British Museum’s collection and beyond.

I'm accompanied by a whole host of experts, from food and wine specialist Susan Boyle to chocolatier and pâtissier Paul A Young. In this video, I'm joined by the brilliant Jennifer Evans, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Hertfordshire, as we talk through some of the more intriguing foods that have historically been viewed as romantic pick me ups.

And if that has left you wanting more than just food for thought, fear not, as in the second part of this episode, I have invented an aphrodisiac that you can make at home to enchant your loved ones. Inspired by a 15th century publication known as The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight, the recipe for my Aphrodisiac Nut Balls can be viewed here.

Pleasant Vices: Aphrodisiacs
Part one of a four-part YouTube series
Commissioned and produced by the British Museum
In collaboration with, and hosted by, Tasha Marks
(Episode 2: Chocolate out 17 May 2018)

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